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Dronny Darko is quite the prolific artist. While still not nearly as active as artists like Rapoon, Dronny Darko always keeps fresh music coming out for his listeners. First joining the Cryo Chamber label in 2014 with Outer Tehom, he quickly solidified a fan-base with his deep drones beneath a ton of sinister sounds. Outer Tehom to this day is still one of the darkest albums on Cryo Chamber and indeed in dark ambient in general. Last year brought us Neuroplasticity, an album which was leagues away from the style and content of Outer Tehom. Now as 2016 is drawing to a close, we have the third effort on Cryo Chamber, entitled Spira Igneus.

Spira Igneus is, first and foremost, dark as hell. This may be an apt description of the album even more so because of the subject matter. We are given the album title Spira Igneus but not a lot else to go on as far as subject matter is concerned. The rest must be extracted from the music itself. Sprira Igneus could be roughly translated from Latin as 'The Fiery Spire'. Given the sound palette of this album, that seems close to the intended translation. The only part that gives pause for reconsideration is the album cover. The cover-art depicts a piece of rock with what I assume is the Spira Igneus erected from its base. While I like to think of this album as a trip through the underworld, it is also possible that it takes place in this space setting. Either way much of the content seems to be interchangeable between these ideas.

The opening track, "Scriptures", sets the mood in typical Dronny Darko fashion, with some deep bellowing drones. Upon this droning foundation we can make out the sounds of an unintelligible and muttering voice, which seems to drip with sinister undertones. Some crackling sound leaves us guessing from where it has arisen. The most unsettling element of this elaborate collage is the higher pitched drones, which seem to conjure a melancholic choir from the depths of the underworld. The next two tracks keep up a similar style of drone and take on an airy feel which gives rise to the sensation of being high in this spire which juts out of the igneous rock foundations. On the third track, "White Eyes", we seem to have come upon the mythical beast Cerberus, the three-headed canine guardian of the underworld. There are strange sounds which almost reveal some tortured souls screaming in agony, but the sounds have been distorted and muffled by the dimensional fabric which is barely separating them from our version of reality. "Three Rulers" takes us through the doorway, beyond the terrifying watchful eyes which have witnessed our travels thus far. "Three Rulers" seems to be a calmer track in general. The drones are lighter and less noticeable here. Its as if we have entered the throne room of these three rulers. There seem to only be two voices, the third does not appear to speak in a voice recognizable by the human ear. Instead the sounds are sinister noises of the aether, a wretched demon delivering his commands through his massive and impure-black aura. After the close of "Three Rulers", the rest of the album seems to take place on or beneath the surface, taking us deeper into the void as we tour this burning spire and the depths beneath it.

Dronny Darko has definitely found his footing on Spira Igneus. Seeming to bring together the best elements of both his previous albums, Dronny Darko has crafted an album which has an incredibly sinister overtone. But, digging into the music, we hear all sorts of interesting sounds. This is where Dronny Darko puts his love of the lowercase ambient style to great use. Where Neuroplasticity came up a bit short in the emotional sector, Spira Igneus shines, breathing life and emotion into his field recordings and drones by the addition of a dark and sinister outer coating. I would highly recommend this album to fans of Outer Tehom especially, and anyone else who love their drones to be doused in darkness and under-worldly subject matter.

Recommended by Terra Relicta

Wolcensmen debut, Songs From The Fyrgen, is something of an epic heathen folk or dark folk album. The music, quite cinematic in execution, brings to mind images of victory parties in old world England, after the defeat of a sworn enemy. It is huge in its delivery, and yet somehow Wolcensmen only consists of one full-time member. With a genre-bending release that evokes thoughts of glorious battles, old gods and brotherly kin-ships which are all so far flung from our current lives it is no surprise that Songs Of The Fyrgen has been so well received. Albums like this don't come along everyday, we are looking at a classic in the making.